For this part, I want to speak to you directly, as I would when performing my piece:

When I set out to craft this piece, I did so because I was inspired by hakawati storytelling from my own culture, and I felt that I had a duty to enshrine that art form in the canon of American theater. Traditionally, hakawati storytelling had no tech - just a campfire, if that. And simplicity suits the conceit of the show, as the audience is taken along for the experience of a person enduring immense difficulties and learning to grow throughout it all.

In my solo show, I and my two imaginary friends, Hiro and Alienna (also played by me), tell the story of the year 2014, or “the worst year of my life." Though I'm the primary storyteller, Hiro and Alienna assist me by playing two other characters (my ex David and my sister Lana) who played very important parts of my life during that year - hence why it's a "one-they show." The show explores how, over the course of that year, because of my relationship with both of them, and how the quality of each was so impactful, I learned and grew from lessons I, and truly no one, could have ever expected. The tapestry I weave is vividly decorated with details that are at once humorous, tragic, evocative, and inviting of deep self-reflection. I want the audience to walk away considering their own relationships to grief, growth, and friendship.